Wanted
by Cenobia100
Summary: A series of One-Shot Drabbles based on Revali and Link. The title - Wanted - is what the two characters feel when they are together as their biggest insecurities make them feel very unwanted and unloved. I'll be accepting prompts for this pair. Current Prompt - A Picture Tells a Thousand Words
1. Mutual Breakdown

**Chapter 1 - Mutual Breakdown**

The Champions are camped for the night in the Akkala region, in the ancient ruins of Akkala Castle. The place had been broken and abandoned since before anyone in the group could remember and when Zelda discovered that the Spring of Power would require them to head through Akkala Castle, she had convinced the whole group to stop and allow her some brief respite to look at the ruins.

What they weren't expecting was a pair of savage Lynels to be resting within the ruins. The Champions had split up to take them on, Link, Zelda and Revali taking on one Lynel, Daruk, Urbosa and Mipha attempting to defeat the other. And this was how Revali ended up pinned down by a Lynel.

Revali had taken cover behind a pillar, noting the shock arrows that the Lynel they were fighting had equipped. He didn't particularly want to become a roasted Rito but their job was to protect the Princess on her journey to the Spring of Power, and he'd be damned if the Princess was killed under his watch. The land was consider them a laughing stock.

If only he could take to the air, he might have a shot at outmaneuvering the Lynel, but after considering his options and knowing that Link was already fighting and needed back-up, the Rito made his move.

"Alright you savage beast," He growled, readying his bow and leaping from behind the pillar he was on. The Lynel was ahead of him, briefly distracted by the blonde haired Link, who was up close and dodging the beast at close range. Revali let an arrow fly, trusting in his aim. He was the best archer of the Rito, after all, so he was in for a shock, both literally and metaphorically, when his shot missed just barely and the Lynel, slamming Link back, fired a shock arrow in his direction.

Slicing through his left wing, Revali let out a rather pained squawk as he slammed his back into the pillar behind him, blood splattering where he had been struck.

"Revali!?" Zelda had cried out, the Princess attempting to move towards him to stop the bleeding.

The Lynel was too quick, however, swatting at Link as the young Hylian boy realized that Zelda had left her cover. The shock arrow flew, slicing just past Zelda's face, much to both her shock and Link's horror.

In his distraction, the Lynel slammed it's axe into Link's side, slamming him back into the wall with a crunch. He made no sounds, no screams, just tried to push himself back up from the wall, although Link ultimately had to give up on that endeavor when his body gave out.

"Princess!" A rather loud voice called out a moment later, Daruk appearing from a side room, the other two Champions following suit.

With the combined efforts of the three Champions, they were able to slay the Lynel and clear the castle of any danger. Revali and Link were both injured in the attack, but Mipha had them both healed up for the most part.

"A good night's sleep and you should both be fine," Mipha tentatively stated, blushing as she removed her hands from Link's wounds.

"Goodness knows, we could all use a rest," Urbosa chanted, clearly wanting to relax after the surprise encounter.

The group set up camp in the castle, tents being put up in one of the closed rooms. One roaring fire and the group are acting like the Lynels never happened. Well, except for the Rito's who's wing was clipped in the fight.

Revali had seen fit to sit away from the fire that night, excusing himself from the room as he wanted some time to think. He didn't notice the curious gaze that an equally downcast Link gave him as he walked out of the room.

The Rito would not admit it, but he hadn't been on top form for a few weeks at least. Their last visit to the Spring of Courage had failed and deep inside he was slightly more terrified that Zelda's powers would not awaken before Ganon's revival. All of the Champions knew how important it was for her powers to be realized, otherwise all hope would be effectively lost.

And on top of that fear in his heart, he had been failing to make an impact in their battles less and less. Arrows missing, a faulty gale, not to mention Link being constantly better at him and not just Link this time, but everyone else having to save him from his own failures. Something about the battle they had just fought, it had stuck in Revali's head.

So there he sat on one of the battlements of the ruined castle, away from the rest of the group with one thought on his mind. Why wasn't he good enough?

He had trained since he was a child, mastered moves that the Rito had never seen before, been the first Champion to properly connect to their Divine Beast and had saved his fair share of people to boot. But that was nothing compared to everyone else's achievements, always better than his own. He had to work for his spot, damnit.

Damnit...

"Damnit," He croaks out, slamming one of his wings to the ground in frustration.

He couldn't even control the fact that tears were now starting to run down his feather face as all of his frustrations came to an emotional boil. He lets out a quiet choked sob, muttering to himself about why he isn't good enough. Back in the Rito Village, this had happened before, but he could always hide alone in his roost and close the blinds.

Then nobody would know, nobody would care. He was Revali, the Champion of the Rito, he shouldn't be crying.

And that's when he hears a loose rock fall. Through his tear-stained gaze, he looks to his left and instantly wishes the ground would swallow him up.

Out of everyone that could have overheard, out of everyone that could have seen him at his absolute worst, it had to be Link. Said Hylian was approaching tentatively, slowly, as if unsure on what to do.

He felt something to sit down on his left and knew that Link was now sitting next to him. He must look an absolute mess with the way he's wiping the tears from his eyes.

"What do you want?" He asks bitterly, not bothering to use his grandeur or his words. He doesn't care at this point.

He's lucky that the Champions all had to learn how to speak in sign otherwise this would be a very one sided conversation.

Glancing up, Link replies in sign with, "I was worried."

Revali scoffs at that, a bitter choked laugh forcing itself out of his throat. Link, worried about him? Now that was a joke. "You think I want your sympathy," He spits out, keeping the blonde in the corner of his eye.

"Revali, I just want to help." Link's looking at him with those deep blue eyes, a concerned expression etched onto his features. Revali holds himself together.

"I don't want your help," He finally says, calming himself down as much as possible. He curls his wings around his front to wrap himself in his feathers, similar to how a Hylian would hug their knees.

After that, there's a silence. It lasts for a few minutes, when something unexpected breaks the silence and shocks Revali to the core.

"I hate this," A foreign voice whispers, raspy from disuse but Revali's eyes widen as he realizes...

"Link?"

The Hylian nods silently, "Yeah, I can talk. I just choose not to. It's easier that way."

Revali doesn't speak for a moment, stunned into silence at the Hero's words. Link takes it as a reason to continue talking.

"If I speak, it can reflect on Zelda. Everything I do reflects back onto her..." He pauses, his voice shaking as he tries to find the right words. "The King already compares us and anything I could say wouldn't do her any good, so I stay silent."

This new side of Link is so different from what Revali had imagined. This was what had been going through the Hylian's head? Not cocky confident thoughts, nothing of the sort? He was just as insecure as himself.

"Because then I don't have to worry about the pressure..." Link's voice cracks.

That's when the usually silent Knight's eyes begin to glisten and tears begin to fall. Link clutches at his shirt with his fists, knuckles going white as they shake from emotion. Revali can feel a few tears blooming in his eyes again, he brushes them away.

"When Ganon comes, I have to face him. I've been told that it was my duty since I was a child," He croaks, hugging his knees as he stares blankly at the stones beneath him. "If I fail... We all die."

Revali's blood runs cold at that statement. He can relate. Both of them have a role to play and failure means death, not just for them, but for everyone. That sort of pressure can eat away at the mind and if their tears are anything to go by, the pressure had a three course meal and then some.

Link turned to Revali, expression distraught. "You told me that the master sword should have chosen someone else when we first met," Link whispered. "I'd give anything to be free of this burden, but I can't... I would not wish this hell on anybody else." Link is shaking violently at this point and Revali, who's mind is now foggy with lament, does the unthinkable.

He turns to Link, looks him straight in the eyes and without any of his Great Revali nonsense, he begins to vent.

"I only told you what I did because I've never been good enough on my own merit. I'm not good enough, today I couldn't even stop a single Lynel. I couldn't do a thing. Had that been Ganon..." Revali can't help but close his eyes and scrunch them from the stress.

"I'm not good enough..." He chokes out. "I never have been, I never will be, I'm nothing Link, I'm absolutely nothing!" The force in his final words betrays the sobs that begin to echo from his throat.

"I'm so afraid..." Revali finally chokes out.

"So am I..." Link replies desperately.

"Please don't leave," Revali states, moving to grab Link's hand desperately. For once, he doesn't care, he just needs someone to stay with him for the moment. He can't face this alone.

"I won't," Link replies quietly, burying his head into the Rito's feathery wings.

The other Champions don't comment on the pair's puffed up eyes when they return to the camp, nor does Urbosa comment on the strange sobbing she heard from her spot near the entrance of their camp, nor does anybody question anything when Link decides to sleep in Revali's tent that night.

For just one night, they wanted to forget.


	2. A Picture Tells a Thousand Words

**Chapter 2 - A Picture Tells A Thousand Words**

The Champion's Ballad, an ancient song that Link had finally helped to complete. In doing so, he opened up a new flood of memories from those Champions that had once been his friends. Memories that perhaps would have stayed forgotten had the Ballad not done it's job so well. He remembered visiting Gerudo Town and crossdressing to get in, yes, even back then.

He remembered his visits to Zora's Domain, where he would help Sidon train or simply swim in the lakes with Mipha. He remembered visiting Death Mountain, fire elixirs in hand, to help Daruk reclaim lost parts of the ancient Goron Mines. And these memories were all a reminder that these Champions were his friends, his allies from the past and that even now he could still recall them fondly.

It was when he had finished completing the ballad for the Rito Champion, however, that Link's memories resurfaced of Revali. Prior to this, all he could remember was an arrogant and egotistical Rito with a penchant for snapping at him over every little thing. How he wished he could have remembered more...

The soft touch of a wing above his head on a rainy day, the clicking of a beak that seemed to sooth his weary mind, the concern etched into Revali's voice as he looked over one of Link's wounds in the dead of night... Revali had been his closest companion in the Champions. Looking back in his mind, everything changed the first time he attempted to board Vah Medoh and almost succeeded in falling to his death.

The only thing that had saved him was the squawking Champion who brought him up to Vah Medoh and shouted at him for his idiocy. But ever since then, there had been a change. Suddenly Revali wasn't ignoring him or writing him off as unworthy. The bird had opened up to the Hylian in ways that the other Champions simply had not.

When they had the group photograph of themselves taken, Revali has fumed for hours after that Daruk had spoiled his lovely image, but Link had merely chuckled, taken out the Shiekah Slate and offered to take a better picture of the bird. Revali, feathers completely ruffled from the suggestion, had allowed a picture before stalking off to his room, muttering about needing to think about things.

The next day Revali had invited Link to spend a few days at the Rito Village for brief respite before their next journey. And it was there that Revali had finally agreed to braid the boy's hair after much coaxing from the Hylian. He had seen Rito braids on all the Rito around the village and thought they looked cool. He had no idea of the significance behind braiding a Rito's hair, although the slight pink tint that made it's way through Revali's feathers should have clued him in.

And then a few weeks later... Ganon awakened. Revali and Link were left standing alone at the bottom of Mount Lanayru as the Champions prepared for their final battle. And he remembers Revali pulling his hands into his wings and staring him straight in the eye, those jade green eyes radiating an utmost concern. He wasn't prepared for Revali to say, "I love you, Link."

He never got the chance to reply as a moment later, Zelda had interrupted the pair, completely oblivious to their moment. Link regretted not being able to tell the bird his feelings, how he never got the chance to really hold Revali before they were whisked away to their deaths.

As he sat at his small home in Hateno Village, holding the picture of the Champions from their past, he couldn't help but shed a few tears at the tragedy unfolding around him. He was the only one left. Powerful enough to defeat Ganon, he had managed to free their spirits and only needed to help Zelda, but that couldn't hold back the pain of knowing that once the final battle was done, the Champion's spirits would depart from this world for good.

"Revali..." He muttered, wiping away his tears, unable to say anything else.

He framed the picture on his wall, the six Champions of Hyrule staring back at him. And despite his memories of those years being the toughest in his life, he could see that his past self was truly happy in that picture. Surrounded by those that he loved and those that loved him, he couldn't help but let out another choked sob, a silly grin appearing on his face as happy tears fell from his eyes.

When he left the house the next day, determining it as the day he would defeat Ganon and restore the Land of Hyrule to it's former glory, he gave a fleeting glance to the Champion's picture, brushing his fingertips against Revali's form as he did so. For a moment, he could pretend he was touching the real Revali's feathers, able to hold the Rito in his arms once more.

He left the house with determination and courage, ready for the Champions to finally succeed in their mission.

And he never looked back.


End file.
